Relying on social media to get storm updates and stay in touch

Social media is booming as storms pass through our area. Many are relying on these sites to give them the latest updates on what is happening in their area, as well as keep them in touch with family members who could be affected.

"I think to an extent, static web pages are very much a thing of the past," said ETSU Director of Digital Media Services, David Currie.

We spoke to a few students at ETSU who tell us, they are looking to social media sites for the latest updates on the weather.

Kevin Collette says Facebook is his site of choice. "You can just get on the front page of Facebook and see two or three separate links to completely different websites so it's pretty easy to get info quickly," he said.

"It's just one direct source, obviously it's very accessible whether it be through your phone, internet, laptops; Facebook is everywhere," said Chase Baker, an avid social media user.

Collette says certain friends will help you get the information faster, "Friends with the Weather Channel and ETSU," he said. "ETSU will give a lot of updates."

Currie tells us ETSU works hard to keep their students up to date when bad weather hits. "We have tied our social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to the Gold Alert system," he explained.

Baker says social media is a great way to stay connected to family, especially when there are power outages. "It's always great to keep contact with them whether it be Facebook, Twitter or even Instagram. I've had a few of them send me pictures on Instagram," he said.

News 5 learned that if the power does go out in the area, the cell phone towers have up to 8 hours of service from batteries. Wireless carriers are saying to send text messages to your loved ones to check on them and spend a little less time on social media as possible, because texts use less network capacity than the internet.

To stay informed with weather updates from News 5, use these links: Facebook | Twitter